CALENDAR
Worth travelling for this month
The top events this month
Liquid entertainment
The Guinness World Record for the longest ride on a slip-and-slide is 611,7 metres (set in Jordan in 2015). You probably think you can do better. Go ahead and give it a try at this year’s (the last one ever) Pecanwood Oktoberfest in the KZN Midlands, which will have a mega length of wet plastic available. There’s lots more fun to be had, from action soccer and beach volleyball to 4x4 rides, giant Jenga, mechanical bull-riding and gladiator jousting. There’s also live music by top SA acts, whisky and
G&T gardens and lots of beer. And no need to go home when the day’s over, because camping is free
(BYO tent). Note: No under-18s. Tickets R200 pp. 20–21 October. pecanwoodoktoberfest.com
Enter the rubber-duckie race at Robertson’s Wine on the River, and you could win R3 000. There are boat cruises, helicopter flips, a new #TastetheLifestyle tent and wine safari, plus glamping on a wine farm. 26–28 October. webtickets.co.za
A stirring spectacle
There’s something terrifically goosebumpy about a large mass of humans performing specific actions in unison – Olympic opening ceremonies spring to mind, as do events like the Edinburgh Tattoo. The South African Tattoo returns this year (at new indoor venue, the Sun Arena at Time Square in Pretoria) with more than 700 performers and special lighting and visual effects. Expect an impressive troupe of bagpipers, drummers, brass bands, soldiers, a massed choir and full orchestra, Highland and Irish dancers, dance groups from Switzerland and Australia, plus our distinctly local versions of these (such as African drummers and gumboot groups), and a few surprise acts. All in all, a fabulous lucky packet of family entertainment. Tickets R198–R498. 6–7 October. satattoo.co.za
Up, up and away
‘Almost everyone feels inspired when they simply lift their heads up and look,’ says Ingrid Daniels of Cape Mental Health, which is the beneficiary of funds raised at the Cape Town International Kite
Festival. Thousands of kites of all kinds from around the world fill the skies above Zandvlei in Muizenberg, among them the popular ‘big five’: Nemo, Squid, Octopus, Red Teddy and Bertie the Worm. Entry R40 adults, R15 kids. 27–28 October. capementalhealth.co.za Many of the same kiters will be at the Eden Kite Festival at Mosaic Village in Sedgefield. It also offers kitemaking workshops and food and craft stalls, plus aerial battles, a kite ballet, kite art exhibit and live music.
21 October. Find it on Facebook.
A bit of everything
It’s got nothing to do with a certain movie about prawn-like aliens (District 9) but it will be just as entertaining – the #District Global Street Festival offers music, food, film and the arts, ‘like lots of different festivals converging on the same urban landscape for one weekend’, according to organisers. This landscape is Newtown in Joburg, and each area – from the Rum & Cigar Club and Buskers Lane to the World Cinema and Food & Wine Theatre – will have its own vibe and attractions. There will also be three stages to enjoy a mix of music, from jazz and electro DJ beats to world-music acts such as Brazilian singer Flavia Coelho (pictured left), innovative Irish band Kíla, the singing, dancing, fire-eating Dhoad Gypsies of Rajasthan and our own Zahara. Tickets R200 a day. 12–13 October. districtfestival.co